What does it sound like?:
Is this the greatest Rock Album of All Time? Well, it’s definitely up there.
Starting with “Baba O’Riley”, ending on “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. And the stuff in between is not too shabby either.
But it wasn’t supposed to be that way. Following incessant touring of Tommy, The Who returned to the studio. The time in the studio produced “The Seeker” single, but it was Live At Leeds album that gave them new energy and moved them further away from Tommy (even though the bulk of the set was Tommy). Back in the studio, 4 more tracks were recorded for an EP, but never released, and the band started work on a new Pete Townshend concept idea.
The basic plot came from an interview Townshend gave to Disc and Music Echo in late 1970: Lifehouse is set in the near future in a society in which music is banned and most of the population live indoors in government-controlled “experience suits”. A rebel, Bobby, broadcasts rock music into the suits, allowing people to remove them and become more enlightened.
Townshend worked alone constructing demos of the songs to present to the band. However, as the band were estranged for manager Kit Lambert, Pete had some trouble explaining his concept and vision for the band to fully buy into it.
Initial recordings were done in at The Record Plant in New York but proved unfruitful so they returned to Olympic Studios where Glyn Johns reviewed what they had and suggested starting again.
The Young Vic Theatre was booked for a live show as part of the intended multi-media experience of the Project, but again confusion about the concept and delivery reigned.
After these 2 shows Pete apparently grew disillusioned with the concept (but not so disillusioned to forget about it completely) and Glyn Johns was charged with salvaging what they had.
Abandoning the project allowed The Who to concentrate on the songs themselves (not needing to link them or have a narrative arc or drive a storyline). This also allowed the inclusion of one of John Entwistle’s very best songs with “My Wife” (another prime-Entwistle toon – “Heaven And Hell” also appears in this set).
Glyn Johns assembled a single album and it was released to critical and commercial acclaim.
Where before Kit Lambert had “produced” (ie been present and helped realise Pete Townshend’s vision), Glyn Johns worked the songs, the sound and the band to produce the best work they could at the time. Arguably he had as much to do with the construction and realisation of the album, but only received an Associate Producer credit.
This set contains a remaster of the original album, 2 discs of Townshend’s original demos, the Glyn Johns saved takes of The Record Plant sessions, sessions from Olympic Studios, a disc of the contemporary singles and B sides (including further tracks recorded in 1972 when Pete couldn’t let the concept lie, but it mutated into the (not delivered) Long Live Rock and on to Quadrophenia), the live show from The Young Vic in April 1971, and a December 1971 live show from The Civic Auditorium, San Francisco.
And the final disc – as seems to be par for the course for many of these box sets – boasts a Steven Wilson provides a 5.1 and Atmos mix on the Blu-Ray.
Of the 2 live shows, The Young Vic set lacks a certain atmosphere (possibly understandable as it was sort of staged for a purpose) whereas the San Fransisco show is a full-on show delivered with no little energy.
The Who’s Next material is honed and confidently delivered – the version of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is strung out to 11 minutes and loses no power from start to end. There is also a reprise of Tommy material, which you would think they’d done enough of and want to get away from, but the pace does not drop, and not does the audience reaction and response.
Who’s Next has been the subject of many re-issues since release, and the Life House concept has been revisited many times in Pete’s future and solo work (he kept adding to the story with more songs that may or may not have fitted the theme). However this set is able to boast 89 unreleased tracks. The full set runs to 155 tracks, so it suggests more than half are unreleased – a note of caution though, some of these “unreleased” tracks are remixes and remasters of previously available material.
The box set also contains a 100 page hardback book with an introduction from Townshend and new sleeve notes (in essay from) by Who experts and compilers Andy Neil and Matt Kent. Also included is Life House – The Graphic Novel, a newly commissioned, 170 page hardback book overseen by Townshend that tells the story behind the project. Other physical extras include a 20” x 30” poster of a Who gig in Sunderland, England, on 7th May, 1970; a 25.5” x 34.25” poster of a date at Denver Coliseum (Denver, Colorado) on 10th December, 1971; a 20 page concert program from the Rainbow Theatre in London on 4th November, 1971; a 16 page program from the band’s October/November 1971 tour of the UK; a collectible four pin button set; and an 8” x 10” colour photo of The Who with printed autographs.
There is a certain irony in that the original album closed with “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, and then 50 years later we could be paying £250 for an album we already own, a host of extra tracks, a specially commissioned remix from the Producer du jour, and a stack of ephemera.
But what the full box does give is an insight to how the album was first conceived, attempted to grow, and what was finally delivered in all likelihood surpasses what Life House could’ve been
(sorry Pete …)
What does it all *mean*?
After Tommy, another concept album about seeking spiritual enlightenment may just have been too much (and the clarity of the concept was seemingly not full enough to succeed), The Who needed Live At Leeds and Who’s Next to secure their legend.
There is an argument too that Pete Townsend needed Kit Lambert to drive his vision (as he had done for Tommy). If their relationship wasn’t breaking down/broken at this point would the concept have been realised?
A part of me says “I hope not” as what we got was the single Glyn Johns assembled album which dispenses with pretension and presents the band as capable in the studio as on stage.
(Interestingly, Glyn Johns did much the same job curating The Clash’s Combat Rock when it appeared they were going down the “we’ve got lots of songs, let’s release a double or triple album” route).
Sell Out got the full box treatment, Tommy didn’t. Who’s Next has now got that treatment. My personal request would be for a big box treatment to be given to Quadrophenia in a couple of years.
Will the Life House concept ever be completed? It possibly is with the 2000 release of Townsend’s Lifehouse Chronicles and Lifehouse Elements (which is probably closer to the original vision). But I’m not sure he’s even convinced that is the end of it.
Question: is it Lifehouse or Life House? Both constructs seem to be used interchangeably (as I have done in this text).
Maybe that’s the reason why Pete can’t finish it – he just can’t agree with himself on the correct spelling.
Goes well with…
Mulling over the question if Pete Townshend is some sort of visionary – Life House spoke of The Grid, body experience suits, and approved music being piped into homes. Did he really envision the Internet, Virtual Reality and streaming platforms, or is it just a coincidence?
Release Date:
15 September 2023
Might suit people who like…
Trying to find space on the shelf for another bulky box
(or waiting to see if the price may fall in the future as it has done recently for The Beatles Let It Be)
Excellent review. The burning question – does the remaster or the Steven Wilson version sound any different/better?
To these ears (for all the use they are) I’m not hearing any major differences on the remaster.
(I either need new ears or some new kit)
There are different masterings out there anyway, I have a Canadian CD mastered by none other than Steve Hofmann, his fans believe that was the best one so far.
Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?
Also “I picked one up, I’m happy with it…”
They have probably auditioned about 12 different versions/pressings
Check out the latest podcast they discussed remastering in much greater depth than anything I’ve seen on Hoffman. They bumbled on for over an hour.
Edit: Oops, you were a member of the panel.
I’d happily buy the San Francisco concert on a standalone 2CD, but I can’t justify the cash (or space) for this.
Same here.
Here is the bootleg. In comments they say that Keith. overdosed on pills and needed a cortisone injection to the thigh, at the drumstand halfway through the show.
Hope they don’t expect the sound quality here to be a reason to re-mortgage!
There was a Tommy box set, which somehow passed me by and I always regretted not picking up on – 3CDs and 2 blurays.
https://www.discogs.com/release/5353702-The-Who-Tommy
Missed that one too – looks like it might be available on Amazon for 20quid
(I say “might” because it says Currently Unavailable, but suggests you can get it from Amazon US)
Not that version I think. I have it. It’s pretty nice, but a bit lacking in bonus material (apart from Pete’s demos)
There was also a big box for Quadrophenia, main thing was (again) Pete’s demos and controversially there was a 5.1 mix for only 8 of the tracks. The whole album then bizarrely received a surround sound mix when a box set for the 2012 live version was released. I have this one
https://www.thewho.com/music/quadrophenia-the-directors-cut-deluxe-edition/
“Is Pete Townshend some sort of visionary . . . did he really envision the Internet, Virtual Reality and streaming platforms, or is it just a coincidence?”
Well, maybe he’d read E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops” which was first published in November 1909.
Just found that story online and read it. Terrific story. 1909! Incredible. A very foreboding tale for us at internet’s AI dawn.
https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~koehl/Teaching/ECS188/PDF_files/Machine_stops.pdf
I’ve just read it too.
Thanks for the pointer Peanuts
I was an avid reader of the Eagle comic when I was a kid, and have collected the various books and anthologies over the years that collected stories and articles from the original issues. I was stunned a few years ago to come across a feature published in the early 60s that actually prophesied that one day all homes would have a link to a central computer network that would hold all information – it was basically an extension of an analogue library, but essentially it was the internet. I often think that these ‘sci-fi’ and predictive ideas do actually prompt people to go and then pursue them into reality.
As the old saying has it, “anything that can be imagined can be achieved”
10 fucking cds to reprise 1 bloody LP. Reviewers nightmare. I dread the Something In The Air 20 cd package…..
Reviewers nightmare ~ fans wonderland. So f%#& reviewers, what do they know?
The value of everything and the price of nowt?
It is one of two decent albums they made – the rest are patchy at best and crappy at worst. I don’t need 10 cd’s of it though, that’s for sure.
I’ve ordered this from RareWaves US. It was on eBay for £45, someone on the SDE site alerted me to it and I managed to nab one and it’s been shipped. A few others on SDE also managed to get one but there was a bit of disbelief because of the £185 price reduction. However someone posted a pic of their purchase having arrived safely.
Possibly Chinese copies.I got the full Pink Floyd album box for a fraction of the price. Couldn’t tell the difference but I doubt very much it was the real thing.
How can they be Chinese copies they have nothing to copy from.
do Polydor use Huawei routers?
They need a physical copy TO be able to copy the box, book and the pile of crap in the box.
I’d love to get this but I’m finding it hard to justify the price tag – I’m not that bothered about the hardback book, posters, graphic novel etc. The main attraction for me are the San Francisco live discs and the unedited mixes and original vocals of the better Lifehouse offcuts such as “Join Together” and “Put The Money Down”.
Also, The Who have previous form putting deluxe out extras as stand alone releases much later on – eg Live At Hull so it might be worth waiting.
Do think that some of the final track choices for the original Who’s Next are a bit baffling when you consider the material they had to draw from – “Going Mobile” has always sounded like filler and I’m not that keen on “My Wife” TBH. Oh, and “Pure And Easy” would have been a better choice than “Song Is Over”.
I`ll sell you mine for £150
Pure And Easy is the track Pete Townshend had the story hanging off/revolving around. Guess it wasn’t in a finished enough state for inclusion at the time.
They recorded a version at the Record Plant sessions and they did it live at the Young Vic, then some point they abandoned it until Odds And Sods (the version there is from Olympic Studios I think, but I imagine Daltry may have re-recorded his vocals, as he did for Put The Money Down and Too Much Of Anything.
The SF gig is coming out this week as a standalone (at least on vinyl)
I’m happy with my original vinyl and CD (no idea what generation it is). Great album but I’m not THAT interested in it to need to own all the stuff they rejected to get to it but wouldn’t mind hearing it I guess
My thoughts in a nutcase.
There’s also a half-speed-cut-by-Miles-Showell of the original single LP, which I might pick up if/when the price drops. Contains two or three of my fave Who tracks, but not my fave Who LP.
I’ve spent many years of my life obsessing over three might-have-been albums: SMiLE, Get Back and The Basement Tapes. I’ve bought bootlegs, boxes, you name it. SMiLE captures the thin line between genius and madness, Get Back a group falling apart and The Basement the healing process after a breakdown. All have gone as far as they will ever go, leaving some loose ends. Somehow, The Life House has always passed me by, though I do have a playlist!
I confess to have an inkling to buy two of the numerous CD-box sets populating the earth and they are SMiLE and the Basement Tapes… but it is only those two.
Might do it one day, might not.
In the case of SMiLE, having all the extras rather defeats the object of finally having a concise 48-minute SMiLE record.
I confess to have an inkling to buy two of the numerous CD-box sets populating the earth and they are SMiLE and the Basement Tapes… but it is only those two.
Might do it one day, might not. In both cases, I have the relatively extensive 2-CD versions.
In the case of SMiLE, having all the extras rather defeats the object of finally having a concise 48-minute SMiLE record.
The subject of one of my favourite pieces of rock dialogue:
Townshend: So, there are are these experience suits…dystopia…audience feedback loop…new dawn…enlightenment….whaddya think?
Daltrey: This won’t work. You’ll never get that much wire.
There was a fair chunk of my life where I would have told you that Who’s Next was my favourite rock album, but as with Live at Leeds (definitely the greatest live rock album), I’ve since learned that it is as much to do with editing and production as the songs themselves. In short, most of the other LifeHouse stuff from the era is weak, and whenever Townshend gets a chance to present the concept un-redacted, it is cringeworthy in its attempts to be ‘worthy’.
The great lost song from this era is Naked Eye. I can see why it wasn’t included on Who’s Next, as they just couldn’t seem to nail it across the various studio versions, mainly due to Moon failing to find a suitable groove. Some of the live versions are a little better.
The only reason I’m excited about this release is the Live San Fransisco material. It was frustrating to me that the Who’s great live period seemed to stop just before their best studio album, but I’d heard bits of this famous gig over the years. Superb versions of My Wife and Bargain cropped up on rarities compilations and the thought of a full concert of similar quality still has me excited (I found the Young Vic material stilted and dull, which seems reflective of its creation).
Within a year or two of Who’s Next the rot had set in. Quadrophenia was a muddled concept with three good songs. The remaining albums had a worthy song or two, but not much more. Live, they fared a little better, but as Moon deteriorated their performances became more lumpen and less thrilling. By the time of the Shepperton material shot in 1978, the mighty twin sentinels of Who’s Next, Baba O’Reilly and WGFA, had turned into a whimper, with Moon barely able to keep time and Daltry sounding strained.
So no, I won’t be getting this set, but yes, I will be sourcing the San Fran gig however I can.
From SDE:
“In addition to the big box set, the Who’s Next reissue will be available on 4LP (live at San Francisco), 3LP (demos) and single LP editions. There are various single LP versions including a black half-speed mastered edition and exclusive coloured vinyl editions. There’s also a 2CD set with the second disc offering highlights of ‘Sessions, Demos, Singles & Live’ and a humble single remastered CD, in a jewel case, with the 9 album tracks.”
4LP (WH + SF) is currently £70 at the Dodgers
If anyone fancies dipping their toe into the box, the latest issue of Uncut (£6.50) comes with a 10-track CD on the cover.
Some home demos, Record Plant sessions, SF live.
Ooh, will be about 10 quid over here, but maybe worth picking up if other content worth it.
Audience with Kristin Hersh, 6 pages each on Wilco, Pharoah Sanders, Fannies, Robbie Robertson and 12 on the ‘Oo.
Wilco? Then it’s worth it, thanks.
Pharoah Sanders? Mmm.
Pharoah Sanders? Who aye yeah!
One of the few Jazzeteers I’m into.
Kristin Hersh? Mmm…
F***-wit boring Pete, thick as mince Roger Brexit?
All of a sudden a £7.40 pint seems good value.
I get the sub as a Christmas present, so I don’t really know how much it costs. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw it was £6.50!
The Uncut CD is great! Thanks to @vulpes-vulpes for allowing me to listen to his copy …
The Hoffmanites are putting the boot in … “the mastering is quite frankly appalling throughout but the discs that suffer most are the four live discs”
I gave the live tracks on the Uncut sampler a quick spin. Ox’s bass sounds really weird. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but ‘phasey’ somehow.
Four LP edition of this currently going for E50 on Amazon Germany
The full 10 cd version is half price on Amazon France. Admittedly still £100 but it comes with books and other shit
Either way, it’s good to see the bloated prices on these SDE box sets fall so far and so fast